Children transitioning from a bottle to a drink cup often end up with beverage down their face and neck to the chagrin of their parents and caregivers. The problem in first introducing a child to a standard drinking cup is their inability to control the speed of flow of their drink in relation to the tilt of their cup. Some caregivers attempt to remedy this problem simply by restricting the amount of beverage in the child's cup but this requires constant supervision of the child for sufficient hydration. There are also caregivers who apply thickeners to their child's beverage in an attempt to slow down the speed of flow. However, while thickeners help control the speed of flow of a child's drink, thickeners actually encourage the child to tilt their cup more aggressively than is needed for normal drinking.
The commercially available “Sippy Cup” is one precursor to a child drinking from a regular drinking cup but has a protruding spout. The Sippy Cup is a spill-proof drinking cup designed for toddlers. It works by way of surface tension that prevents liquid from being spilled even when the cup is upended. However, the Sippy Cup encourages a backward-forward suckle pattern to some degree and can even produce an open bit in children. Children using the Sippy Cup may also experience speech problems where the placement of the tongue forward is an issue. Use or over-use of the Sippy Cup may therefore be a contributing factor in speech delays for some children. Good lip seal and strength, as well as tongue placement, are essential for producing many speech sounds. There is therefore a need for some other commercially available alternative to the Sippy Cup.
Some caregivers have transitioned their children using a Honey Bear straw but that still encourages sucking. The Honey Bear allows a caregiver or child to control the flow of liquid into the child's mouth by squeezing gently on the bear's tummy to push liquid through the straw. Still other parents may employ recessed lid cups. The recessed lid encourages tongue retraction and improved lip closure but has the additional issues of proper lip seal on the enlarged cup edge and fitting the lid to a cup of a matching diameter and thickness.
None of the alternative devices or methods above encourages normal and independent drinking. There is therefore a need for a commercial alternative which encourages normal and independent drinking.